It is a tricky thing to have garlic in your garden. Growing it is easy, and I dearly love the beautiful blooms. It’s knowing the exact moment to harvest that can get a little confusing. If you leave them in the ground too long, they practically burst from their skins trying to sprout once more. If you pull them up too early, they don’t store well.

I use the lower leaves as my guide and pull them out of the ground when those turn brown. I now have them in a cool dark place “curing,” so to speak, and they should be perfectly ready to use in holiday baking. Most probably don’t grow it, but instead scavenge for garlic at the local supermarket.

As you could guess, it’s a member of the onion genus, Allium, and in the Amaryllis family. It is propagated by planting the small individual cloves. Organic sulphur compounds give garlic its distinctive odor. It is unknown where garlic originated, but most plant historians guess it was either middle Asia or the Mediterranean region.

When selecting, go through the bin of bulbs rather than purchase those packaged in boxes or processed and in jars. You want to purchase those that feel firm and avoid any that have soft, spongy areas or that have begun to shrivel. I like those that are large and plump. The sheath should be tight and unbroken. While color is not important, the pearly white varieties are the most popular on the market.

If you place them in produce bags when buying, take them out of the bags as soon as you get them home. Garlic likes moving air and will keep the longest if it is placed in a well-ventilated area. Moisture is a problem and can hasten decay, so make sure you keep it dry and in the pantry.

Read or Share this story: http://on.dnj.com/1uk7opS

From The USA TODAY NETWORK

These sites are part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Their content is produced independently from our newsrooms.